Toolholder for vacuum cleaners



' g- 25, 1942- 'r. K. SCOTT TOOL HOLDER FOR VACUUM CLEANERS 7 Filed Oct. 17, 1941 INVENTOR .7/(0mw. Q03

ATTORNEY and 6 a second embodiment.

' cleaner casing I.

Patented Aug. 25, 1%42 gram caries 2 Claims.

This invention relates to new and usefulimprovements in tool holders for vacuum cleaners and more particularly for vacuum cleaners of the type in which the dust bag and motor are enclosed within a rigid and substantially cylindrical casing which in operation lies with its longitudinal axis in a horizontal position.

' The object of the present invention is to provide a tool holder which can be readily opened and closed to form at will two troughs on top of the vacuum cleaner casing within which tools may be deposited.

The nature of the invention will more clearly appear from the following description of two embodiments thereof, and its scope will be defined in the appended claims.

In the drawing Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 illustrate one embodiment of the invention and Figs. 5

Fig. 1 is a perspective view and Fig. 2 an end elevation of a vacuum cleaner equipped with the tool holder forming the subject matter of the present invention. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the two stays by which the tool holding side walls are attached to the vacuum cleaner, and Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the sheet comprising the wallslaid out fiat. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the second embodiment. and Fig. 6 an end view.

Referring now to the first embodiment, i is a substantially cylindrical vacuum cleaner enclosing the customary motor and bag. 2 are legs by means of which the vacuum cleaner may be set up on the floor with its longitudinal axis horizontal. 3 is a casing for the switch by means of which the vacuum cleaner motor may be controlled. 6 is a handle fastened to the switch housing 3 and to a protuberance 5 on the vacuum cleaner casing and serving to carry around the vacuum cleaner casing.

Vertical walls It form with the upper surface of casing I two troughs within which tools may be placed. The walls form part of an oblong sheet 6 of canvas, leather, or any other flexible material, which is placed on top of the vacuum The sheet has a central cutout portion I so that the projection 5 and handle 4 can pass therethrough. To prevent displacement of the canvas, the cut-out portion I is held together by means of a-flap 8 attached to the canvas on one side of the slot I and detachably secured to the canvas on the other side of the slot by means of snappers 9. When the sheet 6 is thus put in place its long edges containing rigid slats and adapted to form walls ID are turned up and held in the upright position by means of a stay H The stay has two vertical legs i2 and I3 which will secure the walls It in the upright position, i. e., substantially at right angles to the axis of the casing and tangentially to the circumference. A portion of the stay adjacent the legs i2, i3 is bent down as indicated at It, l5 to straddle the walls it). Near its center the stay tell-shaped at it to straddle the switch housing 3. The lower ends of this U- shaped part will rest on top of the casing. The two ends of the stay ii and it are bent at right angles to the legs i2 and i3 and over these ends maybe slipped the looped ends of a strap Q9 of elastic material. This strap 19 is placed around the vacuum cleaner housing 8 so as to hold in place the stay ii and thus the sheet 5 with the walls in upright position.

As shown in Fig. 1, the tool holder is anchored in place by means of a stay ii and strap I8 pro vided at one end thereof and by means of a similar loop 2i? and strap it provided at the other end thereof.

Vacuum cleaner tools may now be placed within the troughs formed by the top of the casing i and the vertical walls Hi. When not needed the tool holder may be readily removed and folded up. I 1

One of the great advantages of the structure shown in Figs. 1 to 4 is that the tool holder can be readily mounted on any vacuum cleaner casing and as readily taken down again. Where this feature is not desired, the structure shown in Figs. 5 and 6 may be adopted. Here a vacuum cleaner 36 has in its top half two hinged sections 3i and 32 each forming somewhat less than a quarter of the total circumference. Sections 3i and 32 are attached to the lower half of the casing by hinges 33 and 34. Normally, these hinged sections 3i and 32 lie fiush with the upper half of the cylinder 30 and are held in place by means of screws passing through holes 35. If it is desired to provide a holder for vacuum cleaner tools then the screws are removed and the sections 3| and 32 swung open into the positions indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 5 and in full lines in Fig. 6 to form" substantially vertical walls corresponding to walls E0 in the first embodiment. Tools may be placedwithin the troughs formed by the walls 3 l, 32 and the top-half of the casing 30. In order to provide maximum space for the tools, the casing 30 has longitudinal hollowed out portions 36, 31. The hollowed out portions do not extend much beyond the center line, because one half (the right-hand half, Fig. 5) is practically filled with the motor. Toggle arms pockets. In the structures shown in Figs. 1 and 2, this function was performed by the horizontal portions of the stays ll.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination, a vacuum cleaner having a casing, a sheet of flexible material covering the upper part of the casing and having stifiened edges, a detachable stay having legs to maintain upright the stiffened edges of the sheet tangentially to the circumference of the casing, and a belt attached to the two- 'ends of the stay and passing around the casing to anchor the stay and sheet in place.

2. In combination, a vacuum cleaner having a rigid substantially cylindrical casing, an oblong sheetof flexible material of substantially the same length as the casing and covering the upper part thereof, projections of the casing passing through a cut-out in the sheet, stiffening boards for the two edges of the sheet which are parallel with the longitudinal. axis of the casing, a detachable stay for each end of the sheet, each stay having legs to maintain the stiffened edges of the sheet substantially vertical and tangentially to the circumference of the casing, parts of each stay resting on the casing, an elastic band for each stay attachable to the two ends thereof and passing around the casing to anchor the stay and sheet in place.

THOMAS K. SCO'IT.. 

